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The Story of Motherhood, Told to an Audience That "Gets It"

Courtesy of Listen To Your Mother Milwaukee

Nearly a dozen storytellers will gather in front of an audience at Alverno College’s Wehr Theater on Sunday to speak to the experience of motherhood.  

It’s the 2nd Annual Listen to Your Mother Milwaukee event, the local presentation of a national effort with Wisconsin roots.  The first such event was organized by Madison writer Ann Imig five years ago.

This year's Milwaukee event will feature a variety of contributors, including co-organizer Alexandra Rosas, who believes public storytelling is the ideal way to honor motherhood.  

"If we all step back, and look at who we are," Rosas says, "it's  amazing.  We are marvelous - we have fantastic things to share. And the whole process of finding an audience and finding the readers is something that really creates community.  We get to see what life is like for another person."

Lane Pierce is another reader at this year's event - her essay will close the show.  Pierce says that as a young mom, the idea of a supportive local community is important - whether it's on stage at Alverno College this weekend, or in her day-to-day life in Whitefish Bay.

"Every day of mine was filled with stories," Pierce says, "hilarious moments, challenging moments, really difficult moments.  And the thought of standing on stage and sharing one of those moments with a group of people who would listen, and someone who might get it, was a really powerful idea for me."

Listen To Your Mother Milwaukee takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday at Alverno College and also features Lake Effect contributor Mel Miskimen.  You can learn how to enter to win two tickets to the show here.